Cunningham Rigging Trade-off Question
- Thread starter Dan_Y
- Start date
Thanks for the note, Chief, but I do not see an answer to the question in the entries on this thread. Maybe you are referring to entries somewhere else. I am hoping Don Guillette will reply with some discussion of using all three controls. Or perhaps you could briefly explain how you use the cunningham in conjunction with halyard and downhaul tension....
I haven't seen port chief as one of the officers listed on the C27/270 site. Are you port chief for Bodega Bay?
Thanks!
P
When you say 'downhaul' I assume you are not talking about a way to remotely bring down a headsail, but are referring to the lesser known way Catalina Yachts used to secure the position of the boom/gooseneck on their older boats.
Assuming that being the case, that downhaul is NOT a very effect solution vis-a-vis a real cunningham. A cunningham pulls only on the luff of the sail. The downhaul you reference is trying to drag the luff, the foot, and indeed the entire boom downwards. Its not a good idea and Catalina stopped making that thing years ago.
PSR: Guess I'd better read the posts! Sorry, I guess Jackdaw and company explained it quite well on another post. In essence what was said is even though you can draw and tighten with halyard and sheet it is quicker and more effective to use a simple 2to1 Cunningham that runs aft to the cockpit.
Yes, I am Catalina assn's Port Captain (of course I changed it to Chief) for all Catalina Captains/crew who are members.
Hope I did better this time!
Chief
Yes, I am Catalina assn's Port Captain (of course I changed it to Chief) for all Catalina Captains/crew who are members.
Hope I did better this time!
Chief
Downhaul =Cunningham?
I thought these were one and the same. But I don't know the Cunningham history other than it seems to have come out of racing. I have only a main halyard to adjust luff tension. The tack eye is fastened to the goose neck by a shackle. But the sailmaker added a downhaul eye about a foot above the tack eye to "downhaul the sail with a Cunningham"...
A point of clarification..... downhaul vs. Cunningham. When I was learning to sail, way back when, this was my understanding: The downhaul referred to the "boom downhaul" Where the boom's gooseneck attached to the mast slot with a slide... allowing the boom to move vertically. Many boats were designed with this type of connection... most had attached foot mainsails... so pulling down on the boom actually had an effect on the foot of the sail also. The Cunningham bypasses the boom and works directly on the mainsail luff... while the boom remains statically attached to mast.
When I purchased my C27, it had a boom downhaul system used with an attached foot mainsail. I purchased a new, loose foot mainsail with a Cunningham cringle. So I converted to a Cunningham by fixing the gooseneck statically to the mast with some set screws. I replaced the straight hook on the downhaul line with a vee hook that I could insert into the sail's Cunningham cringle.
When I purchased my C27, it had a boom downhaul system used with an attached foot mainsail. I purchased a new, loose foot mainsail with a Cunningham cringle. So I converted to a Cunningham by fixing the gooseneck statically to the mast with some set screws. I replaced the straight hook on the downhaul line with a vee hook that I could insert into the sail's Cunningham cringle.